On August 23, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Family-type children's homes will open in December in the Braslav and Ushachi districts of the Vitebsk region, Ivan Shchurok, head of the education department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, told a BELTA correspondent. The construction of two residential buildings for families raising orphans and children left without parental care is being carried out under the presidential program "Children of Belarus" in the urban settlement of Vidzy, Braslav district, and the agro-town of Orekhovno, Ushachi district. Br2.4 billion has been allocated for their construction based on equal co-financing from the republican and regional budgets. "The construction of these facilities is underway, and they are scheduled to open by the end of the year. Simultaneously, families are being selected for them. This is a complex task, as a person must be ready to become a foster parent and also possess a certain level of knowledge," noted Ivan Shchurok. In the districts, the profession of foster parent is actively offered to teachers who are being released from their positions, as they have the relevant knowledge and experience. The head of the education department also noted the strengthening of a positive trend related to the decrease in the number of orphans in the region. "In 7 months, 240 children have been recognized as orphans, while 5-10 years ago their number was 600-700. This year, 70% of orphans and children left without parental care have been placed in family-type care. This is a good indicator for the Vitebsk region," he noted. Ivan Shchurok expressed his conviction that Decree No. 18 "On Additional Measures for State Protection of Children in Dysfunctional Families," as well as the attention of the head of state, local authorities, and society to this issue, have put a stop to social orphanhood. The number of family-type children's homes in the Vitebsk region increased from four in 2007 to 17 in 2011. Currently, 124 children are being raised in them. -0-

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